The Fiddle and the Hour Glass
by Knightrunner
Summary: Bad title I know but it's better than it sounds. It's about two mutants who are the children of some of Batman's biggest enemies. Both have had rough lives and stuggle with sanity...or their lack of sanity. I suck at summeries I know.


**Author's note: I know I know I should be working on something else! I just got this idea and thought I should write it! I'm horrible about this, I come up with ideas and write them…no matter how hard I try not to start anything new. But I guess like this I won't forget my ideas. So on with the story. Just a prologue, to kinda explain the situation and stuff.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own X-Men or Batman. Sadly, if I did then Joker would be dead. Sorry Joker fans!**

Prologue

Looking out the window of the taxi Claudia Mittchel sighed. Outside was an orphanage. She new amongst the children living in the building there was one adult. One adult that wasn't part of the staff. He would be leaving soon. Claudia helped out a few times a month there. It was the only way she could keep an eye on her son. At this point Ranger was only there because he was the only one who could help a girl there.

The poor girl, like most there didn't know, she didn't know her real parents. Claudia had given up Ranger as a baby, knowing she couldn't care for him. Her life was to dangerous to have a child. He disserved better than her. So much good that did, he still ended up in foster care.

_He takes after his father so much. _Claudia thought to herself. _He's got a love for medicines and toxins. It worries me, knowing that he may become like his father. If I had kept him he would be a killer, weather of humans or mutants it's hard to say. I know now that it would be humans. For years there was no way to know…when he was thirteen his powers immerged. Not keeping him he's become a young man who fears everyone. He's paranoid and there's nothing I can do about it._

Claudia looked away from the orphanage. She knew it was to late to help Ranger. From here she could only hope and pray that he would never meet his father. The results would be…catastrophic. Between Jonathan's alternate ego and Ranger's paranoia it would not be good for anyone. Adding in Ranger's mutant factor just made things worse.

Everyday that Claudia wasn't busy and could help at the orphanage it was hard. Seeing Ranger so unstable and out of place, knowing she couldn't help. She's tried to find Jonathan but couldn't. She's gone to Gotham, knowing he normally is there, but could never find him. After so many years she gave up. It became clear that there was no way to find Jonathan. Even with all the havoc his alter ego Scarecrow makes in Gotham.

Suffice it to say, Claudia couldn't help Ranger anymore. He's growing up and she can't stop it. Soon he'll be on his own living alone.

"Harmony's eighteen now. They need to leave. We were gracious enough letting Ranger stay with her. Now they're adults and should be on their own." A middle aged woman said. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight bun with lose hairs pinned up. She was in a large office. The floors were dark hard wood and walls lined with book shelves. In the middle of the room was a large, wooden desk that matched the rest of the room. In front of the desk were two nice, red chairs. The dark haired woman stood behind the left one, looking strait at the blonde woman behind the desk.

The blonde looked to be in her late twenties. Her curled hair fell down her back and her bangs falling to either side of her face, laying just by her kind, brown eyes that looked incredibly sorrowful. "Cara, I know you think this is a place for children but you've known both of them since they were nine and ten. You should know as well as me that they aren't safe on the streets."

The dark haired woman, Cara, sighed. "Yes Rachel I know. I also know why you are fighting so hard to keep them."

Rachel shook her head. "You don't know why. No one does."

Cara sighed, trying hard to keep her composure. "Rachel, you must see reason. They are grown up now. By law we can't keep them here."

Rachel glanced at the clock before saying "By law we can't keep them here. It says nothing about them staying here."

Cara shook her head. "Rachel Anna Clark! You can't! They have their own lives to live. I know you love them, especially Harmony but you can not have them stay!"

Rachel stood from her desk. "You have no place telling me what to do!"

Cara sighed and placed her hand on her eyes. She just stood there a moment, the room in utter silence. She took a deep breath and dropped her hand to her side. "Rachel, please listen to me. It's clear to all of us that she's your daughter. I know you keep her here so that someone who can really care for her will come but they haven't. You won't let her go but you need to."

Rachel sighed as she turned and walked over to a window behind her desk. She was trying not to cry but she knew she was failing when she felt a warm tear roll down her cheek. "Is it really that obvious?" She questioned.

"I'm afraid so."

Rachel wiped a tear from her cheek as she turned around. "You've made your point. Harmony needs to grow up. I can't keep her sheltered forever."

Cara nodded. "If I may ask, who's her father?"

Rachel walked around her desk to stand in front of Cara. "Are you sure you want to know?" Cara hesitated before nodding. "Honestly, I don't know his name. But everyone back home in Gotham knew him as The Joker."

Cara looked at her in shock. Both women were from Gotham so both knew who The Joker is. What Cara couldn't comprehend is that Harmony, a fragile and innocent girl, is the daughter of someone as physcotic as Joker.

"You can't be serious." She said, still in shock.

Rachel sighed. "I wish I wasn't. Harmony was an accident. I was at a bar and got drunk. That night I didn't think about who he was or what I was doing. The next morning, when it all game back to me and I realized what had happened. I didn't know what to think."

Cara sighed sympithetically and said. "Rachel I'm sorry. If I had known I-"

Rachel cut her off. "It's fine Cara. You didn't know."

Cara nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

Rachel walked back around her desk and sat down. "Start them out in an apartment. If they can keep on their feet...then they're out of our hands."

Cara thought about asking what to do if they couldn't support themselves but decided against it. Instead she just nodded and left. Thinking to herself. Now she knew who Harmony's parents were. Ranger's history was still a black hole. The people he had been taken from weren't his real parents. There was nothing in their DNA that said they could be related.


End file.
